“The recent statements by the Malian government call into question its political will to end child labor in mining,” said Babatunde Olugboji, deputy program director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities in Mali should publicly renew their commitment to help children leave work in mining and get an education instead.”

Human Rights Watch conducted field research in artisanal gold mines in Kéniéba and Kolondiéba circles in 2011 and interviewed more than 150 people for its report. Children between the ages of 6 and 17 told the organization how they dug pits, worked underground in unstable mines, carried and crushed heavy ore, and used toxic mercury to extract gold. Such work is hazardous and prohibited under international and Malian law.

But at the news conference on April 10, officials from the ministries of Mining, Interior, and Justice questioned whether children present at the mining sites were actually performing labor, and Col. Allaye Diakité also questioned Human Rights Watch methodology, including the origins of photographs it published that show children at work. Human Rights Watch used photographs from both independent professional photographers as well as its own researchers, and said that the photographs support allegations made in its report.

Human Rights Watch is not the only organization to document the issue of child labor in Mali’s gold mines. A recent media report by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) highlighted the same issue.

Mali’s government has itself previously acknowledged the problem of child labor in artisanal gold mines, and devised a child labor action plan in June 2011 with a view to ending this practice.

“The clashes have resulted in the alleged displacement of 60,000 persons and have reportedly claimed the lives of at least 100 persons,” the hybrid mission – known by the acronym UNAMID – said in an update.

The fighting erupted on 5 January in the Jebel Amer area near Kabkabiya, in North Darfur state, and resulted in a number of casualties, looting, the burning of nearby villages, and the displacement of thousands of civilians forced to flee towards towns of Kabkabiya, Saraf Omra and Al Sereif.

Following initial reports of the fighting, UNAMID dispatched a verification team to Jebel Amer. The team was informed that most of the displaced persons are currently living in schools, local council buildings and government buildings.

As part of its efforts to facilitate humanitarian assistance, UNAMID is today transporting by road 75 tons of relief items – including plastic sheets, blankets, jerry cans, mattresses and mosquito nets – to El Sereif and Garrah Azawia.

The peacekeeping operation has also provided escorts to UN World Food Programme (WFP) trucks carrying supplies, which have reached the town of Kutum and are expected to reach the district of Kabkabiya within a few days. In addition, it is actively supporting ongoing mediation and reconciliation efforts.

Established in July 2007, UNAMID has the protection of civilians as its core mandate. In addition, the peacekeeping operation is tasked with facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and assisting with an inclusive peace process in Darfur, where fighting broke out nine years ago, pitting Government forces and allied militiamen against rebel groups.